One of the most exciting and eagerly awaited films of the year is the sci-fi epic Megalopolis by Francis Ford Coppola (The Godfather). But whatever the content of the film starring Adam Driver, it can hardly be more exciting than the increasingly dramatic production story leading up to the theatrical release, which is finally due to take place this month.
Until this year, most US distributors were afraid to include the megalomaniac project, which was financed with several hundred million from their own pockets, in their portfolios. Fears that, according to some current projections, were not unfounded.
Sci-Fi epic Megalopolis threatens to become a mega-flop for legendary director
Will Megalopolis become Megaflopolis? At least that is what two major Hollywood research firms believe, who, according to the Hollywood Reporter, are predicting disastrous figures for Coppola’s heart project. According to them, the domestic box office is expected to have a slim film opening of only 5 to 9 million US dollars at the box office The director has already spent private assets of 120 million for the budget – and that was before the costs of the marketing campaign that Lionsgate is currently bearing.
Marketing managers at Lionsgate will hardly be happy about mixed reviews from Cannes or Negative headlines that has been raised in recent months regarding Francis Ford Coppola’s questionable behavior on set. According to Variety, the filmmaker is said to have created a chaotic atmosphere and also behaved in a harassing manner towards women. Coppola denied these allegations.
In addition, the last Megalopolis trailer had to be recalled after it was revealed that old film review quotes from Coppola’s past were made up (or generated by AI). The updated preview was released just this week and looks like this:
Megalopolis – New Trailer (English) HD
When will Megalopolis finally be released in cinemas?
Of course, poor Hollywood projections don’t have to stop film buffs from looking forward to the upcoming film release. After Megalopolis was already shown during this year’s Cannes Film Festival, it is set to be released on 26 September 2024 will finally be released in cinemas for a hopefully wider audience than expected.